Turn Left
by AnnCarter
Summary: What would have happened if instead of returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor would have followed Donna at the end of "Partners In Crime"? What would have happened if he'd have turned left, round the corner, and saw who she was talking to?


_All rights for Doctor Who are the BBC's._

**AN:** Oh, I hate you, Russell T. Davies. But you might just be one of the best writers in history of mankind.

* * *

"Donna!" The Doctor turned left and past the corner, looking for his new companion. They haven't even gone on one trip together, and she had already run off when she wasn't supposed to. He loved having someone to travel with – he honestly did – but why on Gallifrey they had to keep running off like that just when he needed them?

"I'm here!" His eyes quickly followed her very familiar – and very loud – voice, looking for her ginger hair. Honestly, this wasn't fair – why did she have to be ginger when he couldn't be, even though he really wanted to be? She turned to look at him, just as his eyes found her and the woman she was talking to, effectively cutting his thoughts off. His chocolate-brown eyes widened in complete shock, his lips parting for such a long time that an entire squad of bees – if they were around – could've made its way in.

But the Doctor didn't even notice that. Nor did he notice Donna's frown. All he could see in front of him was the young, blonde woman, whose eyes brightened up as she noticed him. His lips formed one word, over and over, nonstop – "Rose".

And just like that, he was running towards her, barely stopping himself from tripping as he came to a sudden stop in front of her. Feeling she may have been standing in the way of something personal, Donna took a step back, letting the Doctor study the woman's face as his eyes filled with pain and hope and love and too many feelings for her to be able to tell.

"Rose," He breathed out. She smiled brightly, her eyes mirroring his feelings exactly. "Oh, Rose… Rose…" Donna punched him arm lightly, reminding him other words existed in his vocabulary. "How… What are you...?"

She kept looking at him, happiness shining brightly in her eyes. He couldn't help but smiling in response to her smile, but both Rose and Donna could tell he still had a million questions flooding his mind, the most burning ones about her sudden appearance in this universe.

"How did you come here?" He managed at last, his brown eyes scanning every inch of her. There they were, her familiar brown-dark-green eyes; her pink lips her wanted so desperately to kiss again; her beautiful hair he wouldn't mind touching all day long; her cheeks, flushed with excitement over the fact she'd finally found him.

She opened her mouth to reply, but all she could manage was an incoherent mumbling. Donna glanced at the Doctor, but the frown on his face told her he couldn't realize what she'd said either.

"I… I don't understand," He mumbled back, looking completely helpless. "What are you saying? What do you mean?"

She mumbled again, but he couldn't understand her this time, either. Looking frustrated, he once again said, "I don't understand. Why can't I understand you?" She looked down, avoiding his eyes. His right hand wrapped around her wrist – he was shocked to find out it'd actually wrapped around _something_ – as a new idea came to his mind. "Come to the TARDIS." She shook her head. "Come back to the TARDIS, Rose. Please."

"Not yet," She managed at last, looking back up at him.

"What?" He frowned. "What do you mean, 'not yet'?"

"Soon," She promised, her eyes once again bright with happiness. "I can't come, not yet. Soon, my Doctor." His eyes filled with tears as she said his name, silently telling her just how touched he was to hear her say it again.

"I thought I'd never hear you saying it again," He whispered. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Soon," She promised again, her free hand gently cupping his cheek. Her thumb caressed his cheek and the edge of his lips as her fingers touched his sideburns and the edges of his hair, causing his eyes to flutter shut as he felt the touch he'd missed so much. She smiled again, happiness and hope clear in her bright, beautiful smile.

His eyes opened then, as he began to feel her fading away from him, becoming more and more transparent as the seconds flew by. Knowing he didn't have much time, he cupped her cheek and whispered to her, "I love you, Rose Tyler," before gently pressing his lips to hers.

She smiled against his lips and whispered, "I love you too," just as she disappeared altogether and his fingers clutched around nothing but air. Tears slowly making their way down his cheeks, he stared at the point where she stood only seconds ago, unable to force himself to move or speak. Understanding he was in need of a friend, just like he'd told her, Donna gently took his hand and led him back to the TARDIS, softly promising him Rose would find the way to see him again.

And in an alternate universe, not far from them, Rose Tyler closed her eyes and cried happily, smiling at the realization of what'd just happened. She found him. She really did find him. No matter how insane the quest seemed to her when they'd first left their universe to find him and warn him, it all seemed to be possible once again. She found the Doctor, and she knew, deep down, that it won't be long before they hug each other again.

But truth to be said, she cared nothing about the Earth and the universes at that moment. He told her he loves her – this time he actually did. That was all that really mattered.


End file.
